Fashion influencers don’t just speak English…

You have probably heard of lifestyle Instagram stars such as
Zoella, Patricia Bright and Christine Barberich. But do you know about the key
influencers in fashion and lifestyle who are working in non-English languages?
We take a quick look at some of the biggest movers and shakers on the global
social scene.

China: Becky Li (@beckys_fantasy)

Becky Li is a Chinese fashion journalist and blogger with the nickname “Mai Shen”, or “goddess of shopping”. Such is her pull with Chinese audiences, she sold 100 Mini Cooper Countryman cars in just five minutes on her WeChat blog in 2018. The colour? A special turquoise called Caribbean Aqua, of course.

Weibo: 3.2 million followers

WeChat: 2 million followers

Instagram: 40.3K followers

Brands working with: Dior, Chanel, La Mer, Mini, Tasaki, Guerlain

Brazil: Camila Coelho (@camilacoelho)

Camila Coelho is a Brazilian beauty influencer with a whopping 8.6m followers on Instagram. Although she moved to the US in her teens and now lives in Boston, she always posts in both Portuguese and English helping her to connect with audiences across borders. “Tudo bem” (or “all good”), as she might say!

Instagram: 8.6m
followers

YouTube Portuguese: 3.44m followers

YouTube English: 1.27m followers

Featured in: Women’s Health Brasil, Forbes Brasil, InStyle Brasil

Russia: Goar Avetisyan (@goar_avetisyan)

Born and bred in Moscow, Goar Avetisyan is a Russian social media influencer who is famous for her radical before-and-after make-up transformations which have been featured in media outlets such as Pop Sugar and the Daily Mail.

Instagram: 6.9m followers

YouTube:265K subscribers

Kuwait: Dalal AlDoub (@dalalid)

Challenging stereotypes about female fashion in the Middle
East, Dalal AlDoub is a Kuwaiti fashion and beauty blogger who posts in Arabic
to some 2.7 million followers on Instagram. Having started blogging in 2012,
she is a big name in fashion throughout the Arab world thanks to her tips and
tutorials on anything from make up to buying a hijab.

Instagram:2.7m followers

YouTube: 842K subscribers

Japan : Sayo Yoshida (@sayobaby)

Remember the song “Big in Japan”? Sayo Yoshida is a model, actor and influencer who definitely lives up to this title. Having built a growing base of followers who watch her every online move with interest, she has worked with major fashion and lifestyle brands such as Dior and Dolce & Gabbana.

Instagram: 140K

Brands working with: Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Shiseido

China: Mr Bags / Tao Lango (@mrbaggs)

If there’s something you need to know about handbags in 2020, the chances are Mr Bags has got it covered. With 5 million followers on Weibo, this blogger (AKA Tao Lango) is the go-to source on everything bag related for Chinese audiences.

Weibo: 5 million followers

WeChat: 850,000 followers

Instagram: 47.5K followers

How localised content can influence
the influencers

It is true that some of the biggest global influencers work
exclusively in English. This being said, brands who want to truly engage with
the global pot of marketing gold should remember that, with 80% of the world
not speaking English, fashion influence is most definitely a multilingual
phenomenon.

In the world of fashion, image is everything. However,
language is undeniably at the heart of the intimate connection between follower
and influencer. Tips, commentaries, recommendations and general fashion
chit-chat build the follower rapport that is hugely valuable to the brands that
find themselves in favour.

Connecting locally

To connect with these influencers, brands need to provide
content that is localised to individual markets and in language that key
consumer groups use and understand.

This means knowing that in Spain, for example, sneakers are
referred to as “zapatillas” while in Mexico they are called “tenis”. Or that
the Spanish word for jacket is “chaqueta”, but you should be wary of using it
in Mexico where it can have sexual connotations. Instead, Mexicans use the word
“chamarra”.

Understanding these linguistic details is critical to
forming connections with the fashion influencers who are making and breaking
collections in local markets across the globe.

Whether you want to connect with the huge Chinese market
through a recommendation from an influencer such as Becky Li, or you want make
a move into the Arabic market with an endorsement from an influencer such as
Dalal AlDoub, your linguistic authenticity is crucial to the process.

Get your “chic speak” right, and it can confer kudos, style
and authenticity on your brand. Get it wrong, and even the most stylish product
collections can fail to engage with audiences.

At Alpha Lifestyle, we know how to create and localise fashion
content that speaks to international influencers. If you want to speak to those
followed by millions of fashionistas around the world using their own language,
send us an email to lifestyle@thisisalpha.